Make Ahead

Home-Sweet-Home Buffalo Chili

February  2, 2012
4.3
3 Ratings
  • Serves around 8
Author Notes

We've been eating buffalo for many years, so we're reminded how special it is when I serve Buffalo Chili to my daughter's college friends for the first time.
Buffalo is a very lean meat with a distinctive taste. You could substitute a buffalo steak cut into 1/2-inch cubes and cook longer, but the steak will cost a 'pretty penny'.
The black pepper, white pepper, and the red pepper will stimulate different taste buds, so be sure to taste-test before adding more jalapenos or hot sauce. —BoulderGalinTokyo

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • The Roux
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
  • 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (cayenne or Thai)
  • The Chili
  • 2 cups onion, large dice
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup garlic stems
  • 1 (or 2) jalapeno pepper
  • 2 pounds ground buffalo
  • 28- ounces can fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained (Meir Glen my favorite)
  • 12 ounces dark beer
  • 15 ounces can black beans, drained, rinsed
  • 2 squares baking chocolate (or Van Houten cocoa)
  • salt, to taste
  • tortillas or na'an
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a large cooking pot with a heavy bottom over medium heat. Add flour and stir until the roux is a light caramel color. Lower heat, add spices and stir for 1 minute.
  2. Add onion and saute 7 minutes. Add garlic, garlic stems, and peppers, and cook for 3 minutes.
  3. Add buffalo meat, raise to medium heat and cook until pink is gone. Add tomatoes and beer, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
  4. Stir in beans and chocolate, stirring to melt. Add salt to taste. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
  5. Serve with tortillas. My hearty-appitite son likes to eat it with na'an.
  6. Leave out the beans, vegetarian still great chili. Goes great with toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, diced avocado, sliced green onions, or crunchy stuff like corn chips!
  7. Go Buffalos!
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • BoulderGalinTokyo
    BoulderGalinTokyo
  • Cindy Foreman
    Cindy Foreman

2 Reviews

BoulderGalinTokyo May 18, 2014
Cindy, I'm so glad you liked it! Both coffee, beer and chocolate add that nice earthiness (umami) to the chili. Lately I add shiitake mushrooms to everything, chili included. Oh, I really miss buffalo meat.
 
Cindy F. May 11, 2014
Andy, I made this recently, but added some strong old coffee from earlier in the day. (It was also used in a recepie from the fort resturant in Golden). It came out wonderful. I like the chocolate in it.